MATTHEW TOWNSEND, SCHOOL TECHNICIAN FROM PENZANCE, SENTENCED FOR GROOMING A MINOR IN CORNWALL
A school technician from Penzance, Cornwall, named Matthew Ian Townsend, aged 44, has been sentenced to four years in prison after engaging in an extensive and disturbing grooming operation with an underage girl.The court described this case as 'one of the worst cases of grooming' the judge had ever encountered.
Townsend, who also conducted magic lessons for children, was discovered after a student observed him kissing the girl at a west Cornwall school.
He pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including inciting a girl under 16 to perform sexual acts, two counts of deliberately sexually touching the girl, performing a sex act in front of her, and possessing 240 indecent images and 16 videos of a child.
Prosecutor Ramsay Quaife explained to Truro Crown Court that Townsend had created fake Facebook profiles for himself and the girl, initiating a series of messages that quickly turned sexual in nature.
These communications escalated to the exchange of explicit photographs and videos.
'If she didn't send a message, he would not talk to her, and she did not like that,' Mr.
Quaife stated.
'He was even able to buy her clothing that he asked her to wear for the photographs and videos.' The pair reportedly exchanged approximately 500 sexually explicit images.
After Townsend's arrest, the girl informed police that their initial interactions were purely as friends.
Defense barrister Steve Molloy described Townsend as 'a broken man' and emphasized his role as a family man with two children.
He acknowledged Townsend's background in domestic violence and stated, 'What happened on this occasion is that he became friendly with the victim.
This was someone he believed he had a connection with, although she was a schoolgirl.' Molloy added, 'I would suggest he is not someone who is habitually attracted to teenagers.' He argued that Townsend was not in his right mind at the time and was significantly affected by the impact on the girl.
The defendant's risk of reoffending was deemed low by the Probation Service, and Townsend had vowed to move away from Cornwall.
The judge, Simon Carr, condemned Townsend's actions, stating, 'This is one of the worst cases of grooming I have seen.' He detailed how Townsend deliberately manipulated the girl over a period, encouraging her to perform increasingly explicit acts, including masturbating on camera and wearing clothing he provided.
The judge noted the sheer volume and content of the messages, emphasizing Townsend's abuse of trust given his responsibility and older age.
'The effect on her has been totally devastating.
The suggestion that she did not see it as serious is something I utterly reject.
She has suffered from depression and has on occasion considered ending her life,' the judge remarked.
Townsend was sentenced to four years in prison for inciting the girl to perform sexual acts.
He received an additional three sentences of eight months for the other charges, all to run concurrently.
Furthermore, Townsend will be subject to life on the Sex Offenders' Register and a sexual harm prevention order that is indefinite.
This order requires him to provide police with access to his internet history and passwords and prohibits him from residing or staying in premises with someone under 16 unless approved by authorities.
